Aquino also promised to end corruption in military procurement, reviewing for possible irregularities contracts made by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s outgoing administration.

“Every peso stolen from the budget of our security organisations represents a drop of blood of our soldiers, airmen, sailors and police officers who risk their lives in the service of our nation,” Aquino said in a speech to diplomats, security officials and foreign journalists.

He also warned suppliers and representatives of foreign governments “to refrain from entering into 11th hour contracts with this outgoing administration.”

Aquino, the son of the country’s revered democracy leader, Corazon “Cory” Aquino, is running on a platform of anti-corruption and transparency in government.

Three weeks into the formal election campaign, he has 36-37 percent support in opinion polls, nine points ahead of his nearest rival, Senator Manuel “Manny” Villar.

Government candidate, Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro, a former defense secretary and Aquino’s second cousin, also wants an increase in defense spending of up to 2 percent of GDP, from 57 billion pesos ($1.3 billion) to more than 100 billion pesos.

The Philippines spends 1 percent of GDP on defense, the lowest among the six major Southeast Asian states. Singapore spends about 4.5 percent, Indonesia 3 percent, Malaysia 2 percent and Thailand 1.8 percent, said the CIA factbook.

The military has a 320 billion pesos modernization program to acquire helicopters, weapons, vehicles, radios and navy ships but is separately funded in the annual budget. A total of 50 billion pesos has been allocated since 2005.

Teodoro also proposed to recruit more soldiers because the 120,000-member armed forces are spread thinly fighting rebellions in the countryside. Other candidates have not announced their defence platforms yet.

The Philippines’ armed forces have been sapped by decades-old communist and Muslim rebellions.

Aquino said the government is negotiating to award some 300 billion pesos ($6.8 billion) worth of military contracts in its last two months in office, buying used US-made helicopters and Canadian light aircraft for maritime surveillance mission.

“Anyone caught profiting from procurement contracts will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Aquino said.

He said about 500 billion pesos could be recovered by rooting out corruption in government.

A three-term congressman before he was elected to the upper house of Congress in 2007, Aquino said he would use the extra cash from anti-corruption to increase defence spending up to 2 percent of GDP.

At a forum organised by the National Defence College of the Philippines, Aquino said he favoured close security links with the United States and other friendly states, including China and in Southeast Asia.

He said he would also review the country’s security treaty with the United States, saying the long-term presence of US soldiers in the troubled south should not be allowed despite their role in the fight against Islamist militancy.

Aquino said he would pursue peace talks with Maoist-led rebels and Muslim separatists and dismantle politicians’ private armies to provide an atmosphere favourable for more investments on the resource-rich southern island of Mindanao.